


The Defenders' Defense

by twoseas



Series: The Defenders' Case File [1]
Category: Daredevil (TV), Iron Fist (TV), Jessica Jones (TV), Luke Cage (TV), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Ableism, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Humor, Mild Language, Team, Team Dynamics, Teambuilding, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-29 15:09:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8494714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twoseas/pseuds/twoseas
Summary: With the amount of legal trouble they get into, it was bound to happen. Matt Murdock meets Luke, Jessica, and Danny before they ever meet Daredevil. He helps, he lawyers, he smiles adorably. But when they find out just who wears the horns at night, Matt has some explaining to do.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A thing that happened when I thought about how Matt was the only one who actually maintains a secret identity. Iron Fist hasn't been released yet so Danny might be out of character, but I kind of like him like this.  
> No slash, but implied Jessica/Luke, Danny/Misty, and maybe even Luke/Matt if only in a crush sort of way.

**Meeting Matt Murdock, Avocado at Law**

“Come on, Luke,” Inspector Ridley urged. “Just tell us what you were doing there. We know you. This is Harlem, this is our home. We’re fighting for the same thing. Tell us what you were doing with Miss Jones and Mr. Rand.”

“Am I under arrest, Inspector?” Luke shrugged his shoulders, hands loosely clasped on the tabletop. 

“You could be,” Ridley warned. “We found you with two high interest persons in a warehouse where we found the fresh blood of no less than five individuals. No bodies. Tell me, Luke, what do you make of that?”

“I make that you better charge me with something or-”

The door swung open, an apologetic new officer failing to hold back a man Luke didn’t recognize. He was about 5’10’’ and medium build, white, kind of scruffy, wore red tinted glasses...and held a white cane straight and close to his body as he slid into the room purposefully. Blind then, probably why the rookie hesitated in restraining him. 

“Hello, Mr. Cage,” the man smiled winningly in Luke’s direction. “Inspector Ridley, I’d appreciate it if you’d cease interrogating my client.”

“Your client?” Ridley’s eyebrows rose as she pushed back her chair and faced the arrival. “And you are?”

“Matt Murdock, attorney.” There was another forcefully charming, borderline smug grin. The expression shifted into something more genuine as he turned back towards Luke’s direction. “Claire called me as soon as you were taken to the precinct.”

Claire. Damn, that woman was good. This must have been the guy she mentioned when all that shit with Diamondback was going down. He seemed helpful enough and came in at the right time. At the very least he might get him out of the precinct and back on the street before any clues went cold. 

“Well, Mr. Murdock,” Ridley ground out. “I’d appreciate it if you’d stop hindering my investigation. Mr. Cage isn’t in trouble-”

“Ah, no charges being pressed then. Wonderful. Looks like both of us are free to go-”

Ridley spun in her seat, focusing on Luke and ignoring the politely grinning Mr. Murdock. “Bodies are piling up, Luke. People are missing. If you’re in this, you need to tell me-”

“I don’t believe Mr. Cage needs to tell you anything.” Grin slipping into a baring of teeth, Mr. Murdock interrupted. His voice was clipped, harder around the edges. 

Luke nodded gamely, watching the two like a tennis match. 

“Was I talking to you, Mr. Murdock?” Venom dripped from Ridley’s voice. “We all have Harlem and Luke’s best interest in mind.”

“Best interest?” Mr. Murdock scoffed and Luke had to admit, the boy did it well. “Did you have Mr. Cage’s best interest in mind when your department  leaked dash cam footage of his altercation with two officers, edited and without full context, thus inciting a wave of civilian-police conflict? Did you have his best interest in mind when you ordered a manhunt after my innocent client based on the actions of the criminal known as Diamondback, despite one of your best detectives recommending further investigation?”

“Mr. Murdock-”

“Or should I bring up the frankly horrifying precinct wide implementation of dangerous and experimental military grade ammunition, expedited through the bigoted fear of powered people and aimed at harming and possibly killing my client?”

“That was-”

“Or perhaps you’re speaking of your own actions, Inspector Ridley. You yourself remanded custody of my client to unverified federal agents on the pretense of time owed. However, the prison from which my client allegedly escaped was not only privately owned, but revealed to have been conducting unethical, illegal, and deadly human experimentation with unauthorized promises of reduced sentencing. All this done behind the backs of every government organization tasked with the protection of the inmates’ most basic human rights. Is that the best interest of Mr. Cage to which you refer?”

Luke admitted to being as stunned as Ridley looked. Though less apoplectic. “You-”

“Unless you’re pressing charges,” Mr. Murdock concluded, “I believe we’re done here. Mr. Cage?”

He didn’t need to be told twice. Standing with a shrug and a barely contained fist pump, Luke followed his new favorite lawyer as the man maneuvered his way out of the door and down the hall. 

“Thanks for that, Mr. Murdock.”

“Please, call me Matt.”

“Luke.” He couldn’t help the shit eating grin that formed. “I owe Claire big. She said you were good, but that was impressive.”

Matt smirked and Luke would be damned if he didn’t find that devilish expression too handsome for his own good. “They wouldn’t have kept you here much longer anyway.”

“Yeah, but that look on Ridley’s face.” Luke chuckled deep and hearty until he processed what he said. “Oh, uh, shit. Sorry, man.”

“No apologies needed,” Matt waved. “Happens all the time. And I can imagine.”

“Luke!” Jessica ran forward, frown firmly in place and Danny following close to her side. Hogarth was talking with some long haired blond man in the waiting area behind them. “The desk sergeant said they weren’t letting you go so we were about to send Nelson. How’d you get out? You didn’t tell anyone about the you-know-whats,” she hissed below her breath and into Luke’s ear, low enough only he could hear. 

“Nah, girl. I got myself a fancy lawyer too. This is Matt, Matt Murdock.” He hooked a thumb over to Matt who ducked his head and waved, all semblance to that law laying badass receding into puppyish excitement. Was it normal to find a grown man adorable? A small crisis may have been forming in Luke’s personal world view because he was finding Matt Murdock damn cute.

“You’re blind,” Jessica stated.

“Jessica!”

“What, he is!”

“So they tell me,” Matt reached out and she took the proffered hand. “I prefer the open approach. Getting treated like I’m fragile, it...grates.”

“I get that,” Jessica nodded before turning away and glancing at Hogarth and the blond man. She cleared her throat. “Sorry, Luke. I tried to get Hogarth to go in, but she relegated Nelson to me and she was dealing with Danny and-”

“No love for Luke Cage,” Luke assumed. “It’s fine, Claire sent Matt.”

“Claire?” Jessica’s voice turned from awkwardly apologetic to legitimately curious. She turned to Matt. “You know Claire?”

“Oh yeah, we go way back.” The lawyer’s attention returned to Jessica after a brief moment of distraction, his head turned more towards Hogarth.

“What law firm do you come from?” Danny scratched his beard, watching Matt with interest. 

“I don’t,” Matt smiled tightly. 

“Wait, so you’re not that fancy? Damn.” Luke let it go with a sigh. “You got me out, so I’m not judging. Just-”

“I understand.” Matt tapped his cane against the tip of his shoe nervously. “Your associates have the best lawyers. Hogarth has quite the reputation-”

Jessica snorted.

“-and Foggy is the best out there,” he finished softly, tipping the handle of his cane towards the blond man. 

“You know Nelson?” Crossing her arms, Jessica narrowed her eyes at both men, the man who must have been Nelson oblivious as he argued something with his boss. 

“I was formerly partner at Nelson and Murdock,” Matt winced. 

“Sweet Christmas,” Luke breathed. “I should have recognized your name. You two took on that kingpin, Fisk. And that psycho, what did they call him?”

“The Punisher.” With a dramatic lowering of her voice and a sarcastic wiggle of her fingers, Jessica rolled her eyes. 

“Good name,” Danny approved.

“Mr. Castle, yes.” Matt breathed in deep, swivelling to face the three. He removed a card, simple stock with his name and a few raised bumps. Braille, Luke realized. “As you’re now free to go, Luke, I’ll take my leave. Call me if you need anything, no charge.”

He easily accepted the card, but not the offer of pro bono representation. “Hey, now-”

Matt shook his head aggressively, palm halting Luke’s words. “You aren’t the only one who owes Claire. Call me for anything and everything, I mean it.”

With a friendly nod, Matt was off. Nelson’s- Foggy’s? - gaze followed him for a moment before the blond broke away from Hogarth and chased after Matt.  

“That’s a story,” Danny commented sagely. “Think they’re gonna fist fight in the police parking lot? Duel over a broken law firm?”

“Those two?” Amused dismissal colored Jessica’s snort. “Come on. Nelson’s a goddamn marshmallow and that Matt guy, in addition to being blind, is a total do-gooder. Nelson sometimes talks about his time before working for Hogarth, goofy stories to pass the time while I wait in the office. He used to work for like green bean casserole and peach pie and bagels. If that guy was his partner, they’re both the fluffiest of defense lawyers.”

“I don’t know,” Luke hummed. “Should have seen Matt take on Priscilla Ridley. Don’t think I’ve seen anyone leave her speechless before. Not since Misty.”

“How is Misty?” Danny was a little too casual. 

“Come on,” Luke ordered, ignoring Danny and pocketing Matt’s card. Never did know when he might need a good lawyer. “We’ve got stuff to do.”

 

**The Return of Lawyer Matt- Paperwork Finder Extraordinaire**

“Jessica, put the bottle down,” Luke yawned. Lord Baby Jesus, it was only six at night. He shouldn’t have been this tired. “We’ve got to find a connection and it would be nice to do it sober.”

“I’ve done some of my best detective work while drinking,” Jessica yawned back. She didn’t put the bottle down, the liquid sloshing as she poured herself a hearty glass. 

Danny rubbed his eyes, papers strewn over his lap and overflowing to the floor. He uncrossed his legs with a groan, joints cracking after so much disuse. “Can I get some?”

“Here,” Jessica grunted, handing over her glass and instead swigging straight from the bottle.

“Cheers.” The two drank in exhausted silence, Danny swirling the whiskey in his mouth before swallowing audibly. 

“I don’t see the answer here.” Luke let out a frustrated huff, tempted to grab himself some of what the other two were having. “Business loans, contracts, rental agreements. I’m not seeing the big picture.”

After a thick swallow, Jessica closed her eyes and sighed. “Maybe it’s not connected.”

“Coming from you, that’s rich. You’re the one who finds the stuff,” Luke half accused. “You do the detecting, I do the smashing.”

“And what a perfect couple you make,” Danny murmured into his glass, earning twin glowers. Then, just to illustrate her displeasure, Jessica left her seat beside Luke and instead leaned against the wall. Every sip she took after her move seemed like a personal assault on Danny and Luke. All the woman did was drink, not even looking at the two of them, but Luke and Danny had to share a wince. 

“Hey,” Danny finally spoke, energy rekindled. “Why don’t we call that Murdock guy?”

“Matt?” Luke’s hand unconsciously went to his pocket, touching the wallet where Matt’s card was tucked away. 

“Yeah, he seemed decent at the lawyering bits, yeah?” Danny nodded his own answer. “That’s all paperwork and stuff, he’s probably pretty decent at it. And it’ll be better than calling up Hogarth. She won’t help us out unless we’re about to be arrested anyway.”

“It’s not an awful idea,” Jessica shrugged. “Claire recommended him to you, he can’t be all bad. Probably won’t snitch us out.”

At this point, having been out all night running for clues and getting half beat by some ninjas, some actual goddamn ninjas, anything sounded better to Luke than forcing himself to read through one more property permit. He reached for the card immediately, tugging it out of the pocket and bending the edge accidentally. “Let’s see if he’ll agree.”

Matt answered on the third ring. “Murdock.”

“Hey, Matt, is this a bad time?”

“Luke? Time is fine. Everything alright?”

“Hey, yeah, no arrests or anything. Just, sorry. This is probably not the best favor to ask…”

“Go on,” Matt chuckled into the line, shuffling paper sounding in the background. 

“I’m working a case with Jessica, a private detective thing,” Luke grimaced at his own poor excuse of a description. “We’ve got some paperwork that we can’t really make heads or tails of. It’s all connected to the case, but we can’t exactly figure it. It’s all permits and legalese. Since you’re a lawyer-”

“I know my way around paperwork?”

“Yeahhh.”

“Alright.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Matt laughed again. Something was snapped shut on Matt’s end of the line. “Where should I meet you?”

“Alias Investigations ok?”

“Works for me, I’m in the neighborhood.” There was a smile in Matt’s voice, as if he was letting Luke in on a joke. 

“Alright. Thanks, man.” Talk about luck. 

Danny gave Luke two thumbs up, or at least the semblance of two thumbs up. His right hand was still wrapped around his glass. The movement jostled the amber liquid, booze nearly spilling over. “Nice.”

“If Matt’s coming we’re taking a break,” Jessica decided. She threw her black hair out behind her, wrapping a thick grey scarf around her neck. “I’ll bring food and more booze.”

She was gone before Luke or Danny could make a request. 

When she came back her arms were full of bags and Matt followed in behind her, head tilted to the side and mouth quirked curiously. He was dressed in a different suit from the one he wore at the precinct, this one a dark charcoal grey as opposed to black. The suit color wasn’t the only shift in appearance. While before he was buttoned up and straightened out and put together well enough to be featured in a men’s suit catalogue, now his tie was loose, his suit jacket unbuttoned, and his hair artfully tousled. He could be in a fashion magazine. 

“Check out who’s here,” Jessica tossed over her shoulder. She dumped the bags of food on a table before she peeled off her leather jacket and threw it over a chair back. 

“Hello,” Matt waved benignly. 

“Hey, man.” Luke walked over to shake the man’s hand. Matt took the time to come over, the least Luke could do was show some manners. “Thanks for coming over.”

“Of course, a friend of Claire’s is a friend of mine.” 

“Yeah, fanks,” Danny thanked Matt with his mouth already full, his hands around a container of what looked to be fried rice. 

“Want some?” Biting sharply into an egg roll, Jessica nodded to the bags of food. The crisp outside of her egg roll crunched and crumbs flaked to the ground, caught quickly by her hand. 

“No, but thank you for the offer,” Matt smiled genuinely, the lines around his eyes crinkling behind the red tinged lenses of his glasses. “If you three would like to take a break and eat, I can start on the paperwork you’ve already gone over?”

“Here!” With an excited munch on another mouthful, Danny gathered his scattered papers one handedly, thrusting them into Matt’s hands, the lawyer catching hold of them deftly but with obvious surprise. 

“Danny,” Luke scolded his friend with a pointed look towards Matt’s cane and glasses. 

“Oh, er, sorry, Matt.”

“It’s fine,” Matt assured them. “I appreciate the enthusiasm. But I was hoping you’d have digital files or links? I have my laptop.”

He lifted the bag slung across his torso. “I have a reader. Might be faster than ordering the braille.”

Danny and Luke both stifled groans, neither of them fully realizing what they had done until Matt brought up the need for braille. As for Matt, the man just continued smiling crookedly as if they hadn’t just insensitively tried to have a blind man read printed paper. 

“What’s your email?” Jessica typed into her own computer, eyes roving and mouth chewing. 

Matt gave it to her. 

Her computer chirped a confirmation. “There you go,” she nodded. 

“Thank you, Miss Jones.”

“Jessica,” she dismissed. “Here, you can share the desk. Chair about three feet ahead, one to the right.”

He nodded firmly and made his way over, settling into the chair and setting up his laptop. The reader was something Luke and Danny hadn’t seen before, both men’s eyes drawn to the smallish attachment. It made a faint clicking noise, rounded metal points rising and falling as Matt’s quick fingers skimmed over the ordered and reordered bumps. 

The three ate, Jessica the only one not watching Matt read. At first his expression had been bland, focused but detached. Then something of interest must have struck, the man’s brow furrowing and his lips pouted in concentration. 

“See something?” Jessica switched from food back to her bottle of whiskey. 

“Maybe…”

After trailing off and clicking some buttons, Matt cocked his head, his fingers flying. The other three waited, watching him with interest. His voice broke through, sharp and businesslike. “Have you got any more papers mentioning Sun Incorporated?”

“Uh-” Danny flipped through several older sheafs of paper. “Yeah. A couple of old rental contracts for office space. Some bills of sale. Nothing major. We’ve got more from a catering company than from Sun Incorporated.”

“Oh,” Matt spoke low, head shaking. “No offense, but this is very major.”

“What’d you find?” Crossing his arms, more awake now that Matt seemed convinced of a lead, Luke moved to hover over Matt’s shoulder. The screen was on some document from Matt’s computer, not an online source. It was all formatted as a contract and Luke could see the name Sun Incorporated bolded in several places.  

“You guys have done good work here,” Matt mumbled. “But you’ve been focusing on the people. Councilmen and women, chief of police, commissioners, all the heavy hitters from Midtown to Hell’s Kitchens to Harlem. These people, they’re even more careful about their paper trails since Fisk. Their misconduct has been swept under the rug, so to speak. What really matters is the how. But-”

“Please, don’t leave us in suspense,” Jessica sighed. “I need to sleep some time today.”

“Before I continue, I have to ask - what exactly are you three looking into here?” 

They shared a few looks, Danny shaking his head minutely. Matt raised his head from his reader, unseeing eyes roving as he turned in the general direction of the three others. Luke spoke evenly. “A case for one of Jessica’s clients.”

“And those clients happen to be?”

“Client privilege, Murdock. Sorry, but you know the drill,” Jessica drawled easily. 

“Right.” The frown on Matt’s face was grave. “Then I can only caution you three and whoever your clients may be. You haven’t stumbled into any old corrupt city planning or lobbying. This is serious. Sun Incorporated is a shell corporation for Brand Corporation. And Brand Corporation happens to be a subsidiary of Roxxon.”

Silence. 

“What?” Jessica rushed to Matt’s other shoulder. “You’re shitting me.”

“I wish I was,” the lawyer breathed. 

“Roxxon, as in Roxxon Roxxon?” Danny leaned over Luke’s side after Jessica chased him off with a raised brow. 

“Whatever you guys are into, whatever it is, you need to be careful.” Emphatic in his warning, Matt’s his knuckles went white as he gripped the edge of the desk. “This goes deep. I’ve only skimmed the top of your files and I can tell there’s something unsavory in a big way. Roxxon’s done a lot. I watched them threaten litigation against their terminally ill former employee to cover up their responsibility for his sickness. And that’s just their Tuesday morning. You ever hear about Cybertek? This is just the tip of the iceberg. You wouldn’t believe the things they’ve been tied to. These guys are shady and dangerous and they’ve made whole families disappear.”

“Thanks for the concern, Matt.” With a pacifying timbre in his thanks, Luke clapped a hand over Matt’s shoulder.

“But you’re going to continue investigating?”

“Client need answers,” Jessica shrugged, feigning her lack of investment. “I need to get paid. This is the best lead we’ve got.”

Matt sighed. “Is there anything I can say to get you all to drop this or bring it to the feds?”

“Not really.” Danny scrunched his nose in apology. 

With a sudden motion, Matt was standing from his chair and packing his things away. His expression was closed off, neutral in a way Luke didn’t trust. “I’ll look over the rest of what you guys gave me at home. I’ll get in contact if I can find anything else that might help.”

The three thanked him, all wondering over the sudden shift in the lawyer’s demeanor. Danny cleared his throat, feet shuffling. “How’d you know about Sun Incorporated?”

“I’m a lawyer. I’m elbow deep in the nuances of New York’s corruption.”

“That still doesn’t answer how you knew about this,” Jessica scowled. 

“Client privilege,” Matt smirked. “Be careful, you guys. And keep my number in your phones if you need me.”

“Will do,” Luke nodded. He would too. If Matt knew this much about the people they were dealing with, he’d be a real asset. Luke, Jessica, and Danny could only punch through so much. At some point they might need to deal with the legal side of things. Fighting, taking out the bad guy, sure. They could do that. Tracking down the bastards, why not. Jessica was a talented detective, Luke had some strategy that carried over from the military, and Danny was smart all on his own. Evidence collection and federal charges and making the things stick - they weren’t quite equipped to handle that part of the job. Matt had been instrumental in taking out Fisk, a man with his fingers in every pie, and getting that man incarcerated. Matt knew about the law. 

Matt left in a hurry, leaving the three behind to succumb to their exhaustion. 

“Alright, we sleep then we see about Roxxon,” Jessica yawned widely, already unbuttoning her jeans. 

“Jeez, warn a guy,” Danny complained. “Meet back here in a couple hours?”

“It’s already eight,” Luke told them. “Let’s not kill ourselves. We’re already going over a day without sleep. Let’s regroup in the morning.”

“We can stake out the Roxxon building, see if we recognize any of those suit and tie yuppies,” Jessica shouted from the adjoining bedroom. 

“Deal.”

They went their separate ways to their separate beds, Luke a little reluctantly, and regrouped as planned, staking out Roxxon’s building and all its shiny windows and guys in cars worth more money than they had in the bank - Danny an obvious exception. They marked camera angles, security guards, offices and who they belonged to, entries and exits. As the sun set and more and more of the building’s employees left for the night, they pumped themselves up to break in and search the servers, maybe a few of the executive offices. 

They were pretty surprised when they broke into the CFO’s office only to find the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen fighting off a squad of ninjas, all in black and all coming after him with swords that shined with deadly intent.

 

**Daredevil Meets the Gang**

“Holy fuck,” Jessica swore as a throwing star plunked into the wall behind her. 

“I really hate ninjas,” Luke muttered. “My last shirt was ribbons because of them. I’m running out of hoodies again.”

“Less talk, more fight!”

With a frustrated yell, the three jumped in, earning the ninjas’ ire and gaining their attention. 

One masked figure came for Jessica, slashing at her with enough force to cleave her in two. Jessica moved with a grunt, eyes widening as the Devil intercepted the hit meant for her, billy club held high. The Devil broke his club in two, a cable connecting the disparate pieces. He wrapped the cable around the blade, flinging the sword away with a clatter. Jessica glared at the man who had attempted to slice her and grabbed him by the fabric of his shirt. She sent him sailing across the room. He slammed into the opposite wall with a sickening crunch before crumbling lifeless to the floor. 

Danny fought hand to hand with another two figures, dodging kicks and stabs and slices. His hand was faintly glowing yellow and his gaze turned focused. The two men soared through the air to join Jessica’s ninja.

Luke raised his eyebrows at the man who cut at him. The force of the slices were noticeable, but the the blade did nothing against his skin. “You done yet?”

The ninja’s eyes narrowed as he murmured something in a different language, jabbing at Luke’s eyes instead of his abdomen. With a backhand, the man was out like a light. 

Only one assailant remained, engaged with the Devil. The Devil gasped as a sword tip breached a weaker section of his armor, but he managed to back away and kick the weapon from the ninja’s hand. A well placed punch had the ninja reeling and then Jessica hurled a stapler with enough force to knock him unconscious. 

“Well, that was easier than last time,” she grumbled. 

“You’re good,” Danny commented, eyeing the Devil with an assessing frown. “Who’d you train with?”

The Devil, unsurprisingly, didn’t answer. 

He did however begin backing away towards a darker part of the building. 

“Hey, hey man,” Luke stepped forward. The lower half of the Devil’s face was shadowed into indistinguishability, the rest covered by the mask and horned helmet. “We’re on the same side here...I think.”

“What did you take?” Jessica’s voice cut through the tense air sharply. Her eyes were on a computer that had just shut down, the screen shuttering from blue to black and the power light blinking out. 

“None of your concern,” answered a gravelly voice. The Devil was moving farther away, picking up on the change of attitude. 

“Hey, dude. We just need to know what you were going after. Seems like we’re after the same guys, right?” Danny walked forward calmly, hands in his pockets. Luke and Jessica shared a look, both realizing he was powering up his ability. “Professional courtesy.”

Danny was getting closer and then the Devil was striking out, his club flung not towards Danny, but at the light switch. With a precise smash, the Devil had dropped them all into darkness. 

“Get him!” Danny’s voice shouted out, his hand the only light source, a brilliant yellow that seared Jessica and Ben’s unaccustomed eyes. Then, of course, an alarm blared. Because some people had all the luck. 

They were way too late, the Devil long gone with whatever information he had with him, and they couldn’t even go through the computer themselves to check. They were too busy running from security and panting out curses against that horned vigilante. 

 

A day later Jessica woke to find a USB stick labeled “PROFESSIONAL COURTESY” and an envelope with documents on something called the Hand sitting innocuously on her desk. That had her swearing out a rant against the Devil for a whole new set of reasons. But when they opened the files and Danny turned white at the first mention of the Hand there were new problems to deal with - the Devil had to wait. 

 

**It’s Daredevil, Actually**

The fight shouldn’t have taken any of them by surprise, but then again Luke, Jessica, and Danny were more optimistic than they let on. Of course they fought, despite all hopes otherwise. It was bloody, there was a villainous monologue including insults against Danny and the masters from his mysterious past, and of course more ninjas. 

Apparently, some of them were even on their side. Ish. They certainly fought against the Hand, their style reminiscent of the Devil’s, but they left as soon as it seemed the situation was under control. Clearly they weren’t the kind to debrief or talk a situation out. 

The fight went well, most of the enemy unconscious, dead, or scattered, until an arrow soared through the air, no doubt fired by one of the retreating Hand as a final insult. Luke ran to push Jessica out of the way and shield her with his body, but his actions were relegated to a nice thought. The Devil caught the thing midair, hand clamping over the shaft, and threw the arrow to the ground. 

Luke went to thank him, maybe even compliment him, when Danny grunted. They all turned to the man, watching as he pressed his hands over his chest, a glint of silver protruding. 

“No!” Luke rushed over. 

Jessica’s eyes bugged as she took in the spreading crimson. “Shit, Danny, come on.”

Luke eased Danny to the ground, Jessica ripping off her jacket and folding it into a makeshift pillow. Pressing his hands around the area, steeling himself against the pained whine that escaped his friend, Luke did his best to staunch the bleeding and avoid moving the knife any more. 

“Fuck,” Jessica breathed with feeling. “Motherfucking fuck.”

“Th-they really don’t like me,” Danny managed. “Starting to seem personal.”

“Don’t talk,” the Devil’s rough voice demanded. He dug through his suit, some hidden pocket unzipped. 

“We can’t keep him here,” Jessica’s voice intoned. “They might be back with reinforcements, the cops could be coming. We need to get him out of here. My place is closest.”

“If we move him like this it might get worse.” Shakiness overtook Luke’s normal calm. He’d lost too many people, seen too many go, some right there in his arms. Danny couldn’t be one of them. It happened to Reva, it happened to Pops. It wouldn’t happen to Danny. 

The Devil dropped to his knees beside Danny, phone to his ear, earning a speculative look from Jessica. “You need to seal the wound better, air’s entering his chest cavity. His lungs might collapse.”

“How can you tell?” The suspicion in Jessica’s voice was clear. It wasn’t as if they were on the best terms with the Devil. He popped in and out with information that led to this fight and it obviously hadn’t ended in their favor. No, it ended with Danny on the ground with a knife sticking from his chest. Luke wasn’t feeling all that professional or courteous towards the vigilante himself, he couldn’t blame Jessica’s wariness. 

“Happened to me,” the Devil shrugged. Then whoever he was calling answered and urgency filled his tone. “Claire, can you get to Jessica’s in the next twenty minutes? No. No, I’m fine this time. It’s Danny. Knife wound to the chest, throwing dagger. It’s still in there, Luke’s stopped the bleeding as well as he could. Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of, I can hear it. Ok. Ok, Thank you.”

“Claire?” Luke questioned the phone call, confusion and panic fogging his reasoning and common sense. 

“You two carry him, I’ll make sure we don’t run into anyone else.” The Devil rose to his feet. “Claire’ll be at Jessica’s in less than ten minutes. We can get him there by then.”

Luke and Jessica brought Danny to his feet with ease, their shared strength more than sufficient for moving the man. It didn’t make the move any less painful on Danny, whose breath grew harsh and ragged. He screamed in pain, face contorted into a tense grimace. 

“Didn’t know Claire knew the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.” Jessica’s voice was oddly empty of emotion. 

The Devil sighed, gloved hand running over his stubbled cheeks and chin. 

“It’s Daredevil, actually.”

 

**Danny’s Fine and Matt Runs from his Problems**

With Daredevil’s help, Danny was brought to Jessica’s apartment with as little pain as could be expected in those particular circumstances and no witnesses saw them stumbling through the streets. The masked vigilante had a way with leaping through alleyways and over fire escapes, picking the best routes and providing directions for Jessica and Luke to follow. 

Claire awaited them in regular clothes, not scrubs, and a large bag filled with medical supplies. She ordered the others around, tending to Danny with a furrowed brow and sure hands, telling off the others as she went and handing Danny the best pain pills she could obtain without courting a drugs bust. When he was patched and ready, she smiled at him warmly. 

“You’ll be fine, Danny. Try not to pull at the stitches, change the bandages regularly. Rest.” 

“Thanks, Claire.” Then, with a cheeky smile made dopey by the fast acting medication, “You know I can focus my chi to heal faster, right? Once my energy is back from using the Iron Fist, of course. Since that exhausts most of my chi and the dragon’s energy too.”

“I can’t even begin to comprehend the weird shit you do, Danny,” Claire rolled her eyes but managed a fond smile for him nonetheless. Then she rounded on the others. “As for you three, what the hell? Anything else I need to be dragged out of bed for?”

“I’m bulletproof, baby,” Luke opened his arms wide and rotated in a small circle. “All good here. 

“I’m fine,” Jessica grunted. When Claire stared directly at a blood stain at Jessica’s thigh, the private detective winced. “Ah, not my blood. And other than a couple bruises and a shallow cut here or there, I’m good.”

“Take these anyway and that antiseptic I gave you that I know you still have and use them or I swear to God.” Claire shoved a box of bandages into Jessica’s hands. 

“Ok, moving on then.” Claire turned to the Devil, who had been hovering at the window since she started on Danny. “Matt, anything you want to tell me? Any more mysterious stab wounds you’ve forgotten to mention.”

“Matt?” Luke’s shoulders stiffened

“I freaking knew it,” Jessica growled. 

“Matt?” Danny’s head lolled to the side to stare at the figure in the window. Literally in the window now, perched like a bird about to take flight.

“Ah,” Claire nodded to herself, mouth agape. “I take it I just revealed something, didn’t I?”

“Since you’re all fine and Danny’s going to heal and Claire, you seem to have everything under control,” Daredevil rambled. Rambled in what was most certainly Matt Murdock’s voice. Matt Murdock who, until this point, had just been a lawyer that helped them with paperwork. Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer, was somehow Daredevil? “I’ll just be…”

“Matt.” Voice low and warning, Claire stepped towards the window. “Do not leave, don’t you dare- and he left.”

Claire sighed in frustration, staring at the ceiling in search of answers as to why her life was full of such bullshit. Returning her attention to the other three powered people in her life, she smiled in apology. “Want to know where he patrols most nights so you can catch him?”

They did. They really did.

 

**Matt is Daredevil and the Gang has Some Questions**

Jessica, Luke, and a freshly healed Danny stood on the rooftop Claire told them about, anxious and pissed and confused as hell. A red and black clothed figure balanced at the building’s edge, shoulders hunched and head turned in a way that proved he expected them. 

“Oh my god,” Jessica stared in open mouth horror, starting in immediately. “Murdock, what the shit?”

Daredevil, Matt apparently, crossed the distance of the rooftop and stopped only when he was within arm’s reach of the others.

Luke raised an eyebrow, the offending feature rising up towards his nonexistent hairline. “I think we’d all like an explanation.”

Danny just reached out and touched one of the horns, obviously baffled but more than a little intrigued. 

Shuffling under the scrutiny, Matt couldn’t help the defiant jut of his jaw. “What? You’ve heard of the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Daredevil. Technically, out of the four of us I was conducting vigilantism first.”

“But it’s you!” Jessica thrust both her hands out. On anyone else the gesture would look something like supplication. On Jessica it was aggressive and somehow insulting to Matt, his father, his father’s father, and his father before him. All of the Murdocks reaching back into antiquity had been insulted. 

“Your outfit is red,” Luke supplied. 

“And skintight leather,” Danny added. 

“And you’re wearing a mask! An actual fucking mask with horns, Murdock. Horns. Wait,” Jessica paused and Matt detected a change in her breathing and blood pressure. “Are you even blind?!”

That was enough. Matt blew out a long suffering gust of air (he learned from Foggy, the best at exasperation). “First things first, my outfit is amazing. My friend made it, it makes me feel fierce, and it’s essentially armor so stop being rude. Second, of course I’m wearing a mask! I have a day job and I don’t want my friends targeted any more than they already are hence the alter ego. Have none of you considered hiding your identity? This is seriously why all of you need a lawyer every three days. Lastly, what kind of person pretends to be blind? For all the amazing benefits? I love having to wait for braille and audio availability. It’s a real delight. Of course I’m blind! Don’t act so surprised. You all have super strength, you can practically fly, you’re bulletproof, and you have ancient mystical powers. Why is my blindness the hard thing to accept here?”

It was the three other heroes’ turn to shuffle uncomfortably. 

“Still doesn’t explain the horns,” Jessica muttered mutinously. 

“There’s a saying. And I’m Catholic,” Matt snapped. “I like the devil aesthetic. It’s evocative.”

Danny reached out to touch a horn again, nodding agreeably. “They are pretty evocative.”

After a prolonged moment of Danny’s horn stroking, Luke cleared his throat. “Just, you know, to make sure we’re all clear here. You are actually blind. As in, you can’t see?”

“Are you kidding me?” Matt turned his head towards Luke’s hulking presence and pursed his lips in his patented disappointed-in-you face. “This mask doesn’t even have eyeholes and this obviously isn’t glass.”

He tapped the sculpted sockets Melvin created and the sound reverberated around his head. 

“So you are blind then?” Jessica continued. 

“I wish bad things on all of you.” Danny made a sad, insulted scoffing noise at the back of his throat. “Not you, Danny.”

“Thanks, Matt.”

“You know,” Luke spoke in an all too casual voice. “We still haven’t ended this thing. Last night, that was just holding them back.”

“Yeah,” Matt nodded, chewing his lip anxiously. How had none of them realized that was Matt? He had a very distinctive jawline and mouth. 

“You maybe want to help us out?”

“Didn’t I already?”

Jessica rolled her eyes and tugged at her scarf impatiently. “Together, Murdock. No stumbling in on each other at crime scenes, no sneaking into my office without my permission.”

Her glare could peel paint and though Matt couldn’t see the look, he could certainly hear her blood pressure and feel the change in body temperature. Neither of them made him feel particularly great about his future at Jessica’s super strong hands. 

“Like a team,” Danny said in a much more friendly tone. 

“A team?” Matt had teamed up with Elektra and Frank before. Just look how that turned out. 

“I think it could work,” Luke persuaded. “We’re all working to the same goals. Our skills complement each other. And if we aren’t getting in each other’s way then we’ll get this mess over with before anymore innocent people get hurt.”

Matt found himself nodding, more tempted by the proposition of teamwork than he perhaps should have given his past experience . And he trusted these people, at least as far as he could trust people he’d barely met. Claire knew and liked all of them, which was saying something. Even if he didn’t trust them, he trusted Claire. If she sent them to this rooftop knowing this was where he usually sensed out danger, then she was all but shoving them together. And they did good work if Matt could believe the stories. Having backup, having help, weren’t those just the things Foggy and Karen and everyone that knew about his double life kept saying he needed? 

“Alright, a team then.” Matt grinned widely, listening to the pleased patter of the others’ hearts. That was nice, even if that pleasure was tinted by wariness. That was something he could work with. That was something he understood. “Where do we start?”

 

**The End**

  
  
  
  



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